James stewabt



v another of my improvements.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES STEWART, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EMPROVEIVIENT IN TYPE-CASTING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 3,013, dated March 21, 1843.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES STEWART, of the city of New York, in the State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improve-l similar to that which has been practiced in other type-casting machines. I have not, therefore, represented this part of the apparatus in the accompanying drawings; but my improvement commences in that part of the machine which is immediately connected with the pu mp, and which constitutes the j et through which the metal passes on its way to the mold. There are in my machine a number of such jets or inlets for the metal, which are situated, severally, near the ends of revolving arms that radiate from a center, and which are successively brought into contact with the typemold. In a machine which I have constructed there are twelve such arms, and I shall so describe it; but this number may be varied at pleasure. They are made to revolve in a manner to be presently described. When a type is to be cast, one of these arms is brought up against the mold in such manner as that the jet or opening through it, shall coincide with that part ofthe jet which is formedin the typemold itself. The parts are then pressed together and the metal injected by the pump. The pressure is then removed, the mold is opened, and the type liberated. The next arm is then brought up opposite to the mold, while that through which the last type was cast carries said type o on its way to a part of the apparatus which may be denominated a breaker or separator,77 by which the jet is broken off and left in the revolving arm and the type deposited upon the metallic plate or separator preparatory to the Vsmoothing of its sides by the smoothing-dies, which constitutes These smoothing-dies perform the operation in a manner much better than the rubblng usually effected by hand. As the type is carried round by the revolving arms it is exposed to the cooling influece of the atmosphere and of the arm in which it is held until it is brought into contact with the separator. The space which it thus travels,beingequal to one-fourth of a circle, will cool it sufficiently; but the cooling may, if desired, be promoted by a current of air artificially induced. As the arm leaves the separator the jet is pushed out of it by means of a punch actuated by a slide.

The type, as they are deposited upon the metallic plate called the separator, are carried one by one, by means of a sliding catch, between the smoothingdies. These consist of two bars or strips of steel faced perfectly true upon a lapand converted into cutters by making saw-kerfs across them, into which a burnisher may be passed, so as to raise a series of delicate cutting-edges. By this process they are prepared for being set up, examined, and dressed by means of an apparatus which is novel in its character and operation. The manner in which I construct and operate my setting-up apparatus constitutes another of my improvements.

For setting up the type I prepare a box or receiving-trough, which I prefer to make not more than three feet long, and which has an interior cavity the width of which is equal to the length of the type and its measurement from side to side equal to the width of 'the type. This box or trough I place vertically at the end of the smoothing-dies, and the sliding catch above named carries the types sufficiently far beyond these dies to deposit it immediately over the opening in the setting-up trough or box. Within the opening in this box there is a spring-slide which, by its friction, will sustain the row of types, but which will readily yield to pressure; and every time that a type is deposited by the sliding catch a depressor is brought down by a cam and forces the type into the box, leaving it on a level with the upper end of said box. When this box has in this manner been filled with type, it is removed and another substituted for it. The respective motions required in the operations are performed by the aid of cams placed on a revolving shaft. The whole machine I place upon a frame on which it slides, so that it may be readily removed from the furnace.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a Aperspective view of the machine. Fig. 2 is an elevation of that end thereof which is toward the furnace and pump. Fig. 3 is a plan or top View.

A A are the radiating revolving arms, which have thejets a a near their ends. These jets are made conical, the largest end of the cone being on the side toward the mold to admit of thejet-piece being readily pushed out after the type has been broken off, as shown in Fig. 5, where r represents the conical part of the jet.

B is the mold, thelower part of which is in contact and connection with the fiat bar C C, which, from its mass, serves to conduct off the heat and to keep the mold at a due temperature, notwithstanding the rapidity with which the types are cast. The top B' of the mold is hin-ged at b, and it is to be raised for the delivery of the type. c is the jet or opening in the mold with which thejets a on the revolving arms are to coincide when a type is being cast.

D is a lifting-lever, the end D of which engages with the hook-piece d on the cover of the mold, and raises it when required. It serves, also, to hold the top of the mold down by the action of the spiral spring E.

F F is the main shaft, to which motion is to be communicated by hand or otherwise, and which carries the cams by which the respective levers and slides are operated.

G is the cam which works the lever H, connectedwith the pump for the supply ofthe metal, as in some other machines.

is the cam which opens and closes the mold through the intervention of the lever D, which it effects by depressing a lever, d d, the opposite end of which raises the slide J,whicl1 passes through the socket K.

L is a cam that carries the revolving jetarms A A round in the following manner: The axis of these revolving arms passes through the head-block M, and has on it a gage or dividing Wheel, N, furnished with twelve notches, e .e, on its periphery. The cam L depresses a lever, f f, which raises a feedhand, O, that carries the wheel N round to the proper distance, when the pawl P falls into one of the notches e and holds one of the arms Ain its proper place during the time of casting a type. NVhile this is being done the mold B mustbe pressed against that one of the arms A which is to receive the metal, and the matrix, also, must be carried up against the opposite side of the mold and again withdrawn before the type is removed therefrom. Q is the cam by which these motions are effected.

R is a slide upon which the flat bar C C rests and against which the cam Q acts. This slide isretracted by the spring S, and itis connected to a second slide, T, resting on the top of the bar C. These two slides R and T are connected together by a bolt or pin, U, which fit-s closely into mortises in each of them. There is also a mortise through the flat bar C of such length as to allow the `bolt Uto play back and forth withinit to a short distance.

V is the matrix which is held Vby the slide T, and which must be carried up against the type-mold atg when the type is being cast,

and this is effected by the action of the cam Q against the slide R. The matrixVbeing thus forced against the mold, this also is pushed laterally to a sufficient distance to cause it to bear firmly against one of the arms A, While this also is pressed into close contact with the tube from the pump. At the moment of comy W is the separator, which consists of a fiat plate of metal which is made adjustable, and onto the surface of which the type is brought as the arms A are carried round, andthe jet is thereby broken off from it and the type left upon the plate. The jet is subsequentlypushed out from the arm by the wire or punch h, which is attached to a slide, X. The stud Y is attached to this slide, and against this the cam Z operates. The slide X is drawn back by-a spiral spring. (Shown in dotted lines at' S Si.) As the type are successively deposited Aon the separator they are pushed forward un der a spring piece, it', by means of a slidepiece, jj, which is moved back and forth by vthe lever A under the action of the lateral projection on the cam C and of the spiral spring lc.

The type deposited upon the separator W are next to be carried between the smoothingdies D D, the uppermost of which is actedv on by a spring, Z. This is effected byA means of the metallic piece or sliding catch m,which is attached to the slide F. The lip a on the piece m passes between the dies D D, and after catching hold of a type on the separator W, which is pushed against it by the slide j j, While the piece m is between the separator and the spring-piece z' z', the notches or k-erfs o o on the smoothing-dies are, as before noticed, to be burnished up, so as to form fine cuttingedges, and by these the smoothing of the type is perfectly effected.

F is a slide which is moved back and forth by the arm G under the action of the cam H and the slide 1.

J J is the upper end' of the box or trough in which the type are to be set up. This is on a level with the lower smoothingdie, and the lip n carries .the type so far as to stand precisely over the cavity p p, Where it leaves it, and the depressor K is then brought down upon it by the action of a pin on the cam c', thus leaving it on a level with the top of the box J.

The spring-slide which sustains the typein the box is shown in Fig. 4. Y

AI have thus fully described the manner in which I construct my machine for casting and dressing type, and have also set forth the special arrangement of the cams, levers, and slides by means of which the respective movements required are or may be effected; but it will be manifest to every competent machinist that the manner of producing these motions may be varied in numerous Ways, while the same ends will be attained by equivalent means. I do not intend, therefore, to make any claim or to limit myself to the particular arrangement of the cams, levers, or slides as represented, but have given them as a good practical method, such as I have actually essayed, of carrying my improvements into operation 5 but What I do claim as constituting my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The vmanner of arranging and using the radiating arms constituting the revolving jets through which the metal is to pass from 2the melting-pot and force-pump into the typemold, the said revolving arms being made also to remove the type from the mold and to deposit it on the separator, in the manner set forth.

2. The manner of earryinglup and retraet'-v v between the smoothing-dies-and then deposited on the setting-up box or-trough.

4. The manner of setting up the type preparatory to its being examined and dressed, by the use of a setting-upbox or trough over which the type is deposited and into which it is passed, substantially as herein set forth.

JAMES STEWART.

Witnesses: v v

THos. TURNER, JAsPER SiMoNs. 

